Railway car truck



March 20, 1951 QBS AW 2,545,591

RAILWAY CAR TRUCK Filed Jan. 25, 1947 INVEN TOR.

Patented Mar. 20, 1951 RAILWAY CAR TRUCK Charles B. Shaw, Chicago, Ill., assignor to, Standard Car Truck Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 25, 1947, Serial .No. 724,384

. 2 Claims. 1 This invention relates to railway car trucks of the general class in which friction producing elements are employed to stabilize the movements of the bolster or other resiliently supported member of the truck.

The general class of stabilized trucks to which the present invention appertains usually include friction elements carried by "one member of the truck in a position to bear frictionally against a relatively movable member. In some constructions the friction element may be carried in the truck side frames so as to bear frictionally against the bolster. In other constructions the friction elements may be carried by the bolster so as to bear frictionally against portions of the truck side frames. In either case, springs are ordinarily used to force the friction elements into their operative engagement with the bolster or against said portions of the truck frame as the conditions may require.

The use of spring pressed stabilizers presents certain diiiiculties in connection with the truck assembling and dismantling operations in that it is necessary to deactivate the friction elements of the stabilizers so as to release the part frictionally restrained thereby. This preparatory operation has been carried out heretofore in a somewhat crude and time-consuming manner through the application of a crow-bar or similar tool to each friction element-the latter being forced into their retracted positions against the opposition of their respective activating springs, and then temporarily pinned in their retracted positions pending completion of the over-all dismantling and re-assembling or initial assembling operations.

A principal object of the invention is to pro vide, in a truck of the above general class, oertain new and improved arrangements and devices for expediting the operations in connection with the assembling and dismantling of the truck.

The present invention contemplates the provision, as an adjunct to a friction stabilizer, of screw-operated means whereby a workman can easily and quickly force the stabilizer friction element into a retracted position, and which will retain the friction element, as long as required in its retracted position-from which position it can easily and quickly be released after the over-all operation on the truck has been completed.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing where-- Fi 1 is a ag enta y s de elevation, partly 2 in section, of a railway car truck, including a pair of friction stabilizers, and means constructed in accordance with 'the invention, for deactivating the friction elements, the latter means being shown in the position normally assumed when the friction elements are activated.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line j22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of portions of Fig. 1 showing the friction stabilizer elements held in their deactivated positions.

The car truck herein illustrated comprises a pair of side frames [0, usually steel castings, only one of which is shown. Each side frame is symmetrical about its vertical center line, as viewed in Fig. 1, and is of truss-like form, including a top chord or compression member I2 and a bottom chord or tension member l3, which are interconnected by two horizontally spaced vertical columns I4 and I5, each of which are of angular configuration in side elevation.

At the extremities of top chord [2 are a pair of journal housings IQ of which one only is shown and these are connected to bottom chord Is by diagonal tension members I1 and [8. The .journal housings is preferably, though not necessarily, constitute integral parts of the side frame casting. One of the four truck wheels is indicated at l9, and the track surface is indicated at 20.

Located between columns I 4 and I5 and between top chord I 2 and bottom chord I3 is a window opening 2! through which extends one end portion of a bolster 22. In the form of truck herein shown the car body, not shown, is mounted on the bolster.

A group of coil springs 23, preferably five in number, are seated at their lower ends in a cupped retainer plate 24 which is secured to the flanged upper surface of bottom chord [3. The bolster 22 rests on the upper ends of said springs and is movable up and down by virtue of the resiliency thereof.

Bolster 22 is provided With two pairs of laterally proiecting ears 22a, each pair embracing one of the two columns l4, [5 so as to prevent more than a normal movement of the bolster laterally of the frame.

At each end of the bolster there are attached, to opposite sides thereof, hardened steel friction plates 25, each of which is frictionally engaged by a wedge-like friction block 26, which is pressed into firm contact with the friction plate by a coil type stabilizer spring 21.

Each column l4, I is formed to provide a pocket-like compartment 28 in which the stabilizers comprising friction wedges 26 and springs 27 are mounted; and the bottom wall 29 of each said compartment constitutes an abutment for the enclosed stabilizer spring.

Each friction wedge 26 has an elongated aperture 30 through which extends a retaining pin 3|, the function of which is to hold the friction wedge in place when the bolster is removed. The elongated apertures 30 permit a limited movement of each friction wedge in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of its activating spring 21. The function of the stabilizers is to yieldably restrain or check the up and down movements of the bolster, which movements bring about the compression and recoil of springs 23.

To enable the installation and withdrawal of the bolster from the frame, it is necessary to deactivate the stabilizers by retracting the friction wedges out of contact with the friction plates 25. For that purpose, the present invention provides, as an adjunct to each stabilizer, a retraction screw 32 which is threaded into and passes through the upper chord l2 of the side frame and is so disposed that it can be threaded through said upper chord of the frame while the friction wedges are operative and brought to bear against and caused to force its associated friction wedge out of contact with the adjacent friction plate 25, against the pressure of the stabilizer spring 2?. Each retraction screw may be provided with a check nut 33 which serves to lock the screw when it is out of use. The screws 32 are shown backed off out of contact with said wedges being moved into contact with the wedges only when there is occasion to retract the latter.

It will be apparent that deactivation and reactivation of the stabilizers can be effected very quickly when a truck is equipped with stabilizer retraction screws as above described; and it will be self-evident that there are various alternatives for said screws which might be substituted therefor without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination with a railway car truck stabilizer carried by a side frame of the truck and Number of the type comprising a movable friction wedge interposed between a portion of said side frame and a side face of a bolster element of the truck, means defining a retaining element slidably engaging the wedge to retain it in position when the bolster is removed and a coil spring pressing against said Wedge to press it into frictional engagement with the bolster, of a screw threaded element cooperating with said wedge and having threaded engagement with a portion of the side frame and movable therethrough when the friction wedge is in its activated position to retract said friction wedge against the pressure of the spring and hold said wedge in retracted position.

2. In a railway car truck, a side frame provided with means defining a bolster window for receiving and guiding one end of a truck bolster and including an upper chord formed with a screw threaded opening therethrough. a bolster having one end positioned in said window, means for supporting said bolster end in said window with capacity for vertical movement therein, a stabilizer carried by said frame, said stabilizer including a friction wedge interposed between a portion of said side frame and a side face of the bolster, means defining a retaining element slidably engaging the wedge to retain it in position when the bolster is removed and a coil spring normally pressing said friction wedge with a constant pressure against said bolster, and screw means cooperating with said wedge and operable in said threaded opening and movable through said chord when said friction wedge is in its operative position to retract said friction wedge out of engagement with said bolster against the pressure of said spring and to hold said wedge in retracted position.

CHARLES B. SHAW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Name Date Davidson July 4, 1944 Dath Dec. 4, 1945 

